Plausible reason Cantor lost:
1. His (tentative) support for immigration reform.
2. His position as the GOPs show Jew, the only Jew in an otherwise 100% solidly Christian party (if we include Muslims Mormons) in Congress, made him a target.
3. Folks in Virginia felt that Cantor was a showboat, neglecting his district.
Now Kathy McMorris Rodgers seems likely to move up as the Christian Republican Party’s whip.
Plausible reasons this will happen:
1. She has a marginal education consistent with Tea Party standards. This was augmented by a part time “executive” MBA from the UW
2. She is a fundamentalist Christian mom with 3 kids, one of whom has Downs Syndrome, a common problem among the children of Tea Party Republicans who eschew abortion.
3. She represents a Tea Party district.
Nate Hodson, a spokesman for McMorris Rodgers, said:
“The Congresswoman’s first priority has always been the people of Eastern Washington,” Hodson said by email. “They inspire and motivate her every day as she fights for solutions to make their lives better. Right now, she is assessing how she can continue to best serve them, her colleagues in the House, and the country.”